makan review: the birdmen co.

I've seen photos and tweets popping up on my timeline regarding Birdmen Co. for quite some time. Another new makan place, I thought, I should check it out. Now, hubby and I, we love chicken wings. The best one we had was in Sabah, but that's another different story. Let's get back to Birdmen. Located at SS15, Subang, The Birdmen Co.'s main attraction is their chicken wings. There are 6 flavors to be devoured - the regular fried, honey mustard, original BBQ,  original hot sauce, garlic parmesan and Asian Sensation. There is also a sample platter consisting of all 6 flavors of the wings. Other items on the menu are Crispy Loaded Potato Skin, Two-Hands Burritos and desserts (only cakes for now). Soft drinks, Teh Botol Sosro and Gems bottled drinks are also available.

Right. Let's get this on. The first item we tried was the Crispy Loaded Potato Skin.

Crispy Loaded Potato Skin - RM 12.00 for 3 pieces.

The potato skin was quite promising, to be honest. The stuffing of cream cheese, cheese sauce and beef bacon -- they're generous with the stuffing/topping. And it didn't taste bad at all. However, it was not crispy, did not live up to its name. And then we found out the bottom of the skin was hard, macam kulit kayu. I do not know what went wrong, or even if it was suppose to be like that. I've had potato skin before, takde la pulak keras macam kulit kayu kat bahagian bawah tu. So for this potato skin, I'm gonna rate it 3/5, just because of the generous topping.

Next, we had the wings.

Sample Platter - RM 15.00 for 6 pieces

We chose the sample platter so we could taste all the wings. Husband's first tasted the Asian Sensation wings. "Sedap," he said after one bite. Then he proceeded to tell me that it's a bit spicy, the spices used came off a bit strong for his taste. And he said "Coating keras." I took the honey mustard wing and sank my teeth into it. So the batter was a bit hard. Hard, not crispy. I didn't quite like the taste of it -- too sharp and tangy for me so I gave it to husband to finish it up. Next, I tried the regular fried wing. Yep, again batter was hard and the wing was a bit dry. I couldn't finish that one either. And I didn't even want to taste the rest of the wings. I asked husband to finish it all up. 2.5/5 for the wings.

I went for the burritos next. I already felt kinda deflated at this moment, so I was really hoping that the burritos will not completely make our dining experience at The Birdmen Co. a disappointment.

Two-Hands Burritos - RM 15.00 for 12" of tortilla filled with buttermilk-brined chicken strips, guacamole, special sauce, cheese, lime rice and beans.

On the first bite, I thought, hey, not bad. At the second bite, though, it changed. The chicken strips were, unfortunately dry and tasted weird. The sauce was too sour-ish for my liking, too acidic. It kinda overpowered the overall taste of the burritos since you could taste nothing but the acidity of the sauce. It was a struggle to finish half of the burritos, truthfully. My heart sank. Husband will hate the burritos for sure. He hates sour-ish food. And I was right. He took one single bite and his face changed. He put down the other half of the burritos and wiped his mouth. His face fell a bit. I finished the burritos, by the way. I was taught to always finish the food on the table and not to waste any. Biarlah tak sedap macam mana pun. 1.5/5 for the burritos.

Maybe we were unlucky last night. Maybe things went wrong somehow in the kitchen. Chef sakit perut ka, kan? But I should've heed the sign. Sampai-sampai depan kedai, it was deserted. No customer at all. Patutnya masa tu dah tau, it wasn't a good sign. It was still early by KL standard, around 9.30 PM and the place was deserted. Apa punya nasib la. We were disappointed, needless to say. Husband said never again, sekali dah cukup. I thought the same thing. And I got one pengajaran, do not believe the hype on the social media 100%. What a bummer.

Go to The Birdmen Co.'s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for more info on their location, operation hours and complete menu and some other promo stuff.

for the love of pavlova!

"Pavlova is a meringue-based dessert named after the Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova. It is a meringue dessert with a crisp crust and soft, light inside." - Wikipedia

Pavlova is, I am quite sure, a well-known dessert by now. The dessert for the hipsters, some would say. Lantak kau sana kau nak kata apa pun. To me it's a dessert, a food. Hipster ka, tak hipster ka, belakang cerita. Food, we eat. Good food, we share. Bad food, well, we share also la!

So, I've heard much ruckus about Serai's pavlova. From the blogosphere, from my sisters and around. So last Saturday, I decided to drag Hubster for a taste of Serai's much-talked pavlova. Takde baby dalam perut pun, kalau dah isteri nak, suaminya ikutkan aje. Sweet kan husband ittew? Sweet angattt! *muntah hijau*

At first, wanted to go to Serai in Empire Subang, but decided against it after much persuasion from Hubster. Dia cakap Empire Subang takde apa. Padahal, aku tau dia malas nak pusing ke sana. Hahaha! So we went to Serai Paradigm Mall instead. I like the ambiance of Serai Paradigm Mall, to be honest. Warm, cozy and rather intimate. We were given a rather secluded table, nun hujung dekat tingkap buat aku rasa gayat nak mampos. We perused through the menu, and I was thinking "Pehhh, boleh tahan harga makanan kat Serai ni!" To me, the price range is a bit too steep. Takpe, we just wanna try the dessert, after all.

Berry Pavlova - RM 15.00

The pavlova arrived, looking all regal and pretty with the berries on top. But. Yes, but. Looking at the pavlova, I know instantly that it will not be soft inside. In fact, when I poked the dessert with a fork, it didn't budge. The pavlova, ladies and gentlemen, was hard through and through. Kau tengokla warna dia, 'garing' semacam je, kan? It's more of a cookie texture, rather than marshmallow-y as it should be. Hubster kata macam kon aiskrim yang 20 sen tu. Hahaha! And I did detect a hint of eggy smell and taste. Hanyir telur ada sikit.

Result: A disappointment. Kau gagal, wahai pavlova Serai.

We ordered another dessert as well. The chocolate lava cake. Hubster punya favorite dessert. Nak try la tengok power ke tak power Serai punya chocolate lava cake.

Chocolate Lava Cake - RM 15.00

Okay, when the dessert first arrived, the first thing I said was "Eleh, keciknya kek!" Really, the cake was a tiny little thing. Macam sekali suap, terus habis. I mean, Chili's punya dalam RM 20, tapi kek dia can feed us both dengan puas. Then I noticed the ice cream. Aik, kuning? Aiskrim vanilla hape kaler kuning ni? Ke aiskrim jagung? Hubster took a bite and said "Fish & Co punya lagi sedap."

Result: Fail. Fail. Fail. Sad. Presentation je gah.

I'm not done yet, my friends. Just not yet. 

Behold, ladies and gentlemen, for the best pavlova ever!

Breezy Sue Pavlova - RM 80.00

Yes, oh yes, oh yes! Made to order pavlova from Cake Jalan Tiung! I fell in love. I just fell. Head. Heels. Everything. The pavlova was exactly what a pavlova should be. The crust was crispy just nicely so. And the inside was soft and chewy and delightful and oh-so-sedap that I'm actually salivating right now. The head baker, Shafinaz, WhatsApp-ed me beforehand, apologizing for overbaking the pavlova. Well, I don't know, Shaf. The pavlova was perfect for me. And for the rest of my family members.

The pavlova was not too sweet (pavlova tends to be on the sweeter side), the flavor was just nice. The amount of the whipped cream and the fresh berries were just enough to complement the meringue. My mother, a health freak, the jangan-makan-itu-ini kinda person, had extra. Yeah, she did. Not one single complain from her either. That could only mean Cake Jalan Tiung hit the mark once again after that Lemon Cake Spade I ordered for her birthday. I'll tell you guys about that cake some other time, alright?

Even Hubster loves the pavlova. Siap suruh order nak bawak balik Terengganu. My sisters and little brother, tak payah ceritalah. Sebiji pavlova tak cukup. Suruh order lagi. Next time la pulak!

Go ahead, give Cake Jalan Tiung a visit at their Facebook - CAKEjalantiung and their Instagram - @cakejalantiung. Their pavlova (and cakes, of course!) are to die for. Honest.

2 posts on food consecutively? Lantak!

don't make me repeat myself

I should've give meself a pat on the back. Why? Because I've been staying away from McDonald's, KFC, Kenny Rogers and all the fast food for about three weeks now. Three weeks?! Holy shlamoly! I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen. It's a tremendous feat for me. Seriously, yo. 3 weeks is like... pure torture. Oh, the temptations! You can't even start to imagine. I pass by McDonald's two times a day every Monday to Friday. And Saturday if I have to work. Temptation, indeed. I even stay away from Coke. Coke, my friends. Coke as in my most favorite drink in the whole wide world. Telan air liur aku sambil menaip ni.

The reason I've been avoiding all those yummy treats? I just think that it is time for me to ease off the fast food. And to challenge myself to see how long can I stand not consuming a Big Mac and the french fries. Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin. I am pretty determined, no? Three weeks. Even I'm amazed with myself. And no, it has got nothing to do with boikot-barangan-Yahudi thingy. Whatever opinion I have on that matter, I'll keep it to myself, thank you very much. Not that you care, right?

Speaking of McDonald's, it reminds me of this one... uhh... experience, for lack of better word, I had. Remember that sometimes McDonald's will give out their discount coupons for their set meals? Yeah, the one where you can get at least 10% off your Big Mac meal. Well, I got the vouchers at one time (no surprise there). So one day, as I was queuing up to buy my Big Mac set, I noticed that the expiry date of the vouchers are on that very day. I still had lots of voucher that time. And my thought at that time was "Ish... sayangnye..."

So what did I do?

I started to offer the vouchers to the people who were queuing up there as well! How nice I was, eh? Some people were skeptical at first that it make me felt like saying "Hei, makcik, nampak tak muka saya ni muka orang baik-baik?", which of course I refrained from doing. Most people accepted the coupons happily while saying 'Thank you' profusely. It made me happy. Really, it did.

But... Yes, there is a but.

There were these two young ladies, smartly dressed, queuing up as well. When I offered the coupons to them, they looked at me as if I'm crazy. And they were like "Betul ke ni?". I was feeling murderous at that time just by looking at their reaction. But I kept the smile on my face and told them the coupons are genuine. And they went "Takpelah. Kitorang tak pakai kupon ni." with these it's-not-like-we-don't-have-money-like-you faces. Wah! That, my friends, is what I call first-class bitches! Please excuse my Spanish. Really. Even though I had like ten more coupons, I just stopped offering them. I tore the coupons into pieces and threw it away.

It killed my giving mood. My generosity vanished. Poof! Look, bitches, I know you can afford like ten sets of McDonald's meals. But that doesn't mean you can look down on other people. What or who gives you that right? If you don't want it, just say "No, thank you" politely. Is it bloody hard to do so? Okay, okay. Let me take a deep breath first. Phew. Fine. They paid extra for their meals. Their choice. Lantak kau. Pergi mampus sana. End of the story.

So, I haven't had McDonald's for three weeks. Can I survive until Ramadhan? Err...

memory food: chicken mcnuggets

Photo taken from yummyinthetummyblog

I've always love McDonald's Chicken McNuggets. Always. Adik said KFC's nuggets are better because McD's nuggets are a bit tough. Well, she sounded like an old, teethless lady actually. I like my nuggets crunchy rather than soggy, and soft. And by the way, I noticed that KFC's nuggets are smaller in size compared to the McD's. Oh well. The main point is, I like McD's Chicken McNuggets. Eating the nuggets now, it triggered various memories. And I remember one vividly...

I was a seven year old kid at that time. I was hospitalized because... I never did know why, until now. It remains a mystery. Mama's standard answer when asked about this, "Lupa!" All I know is that I suffered serious headaches at night time. I could not sleep because my head hurt so much. Sleepless night combined with the hurting head, I cried. No, scratch that. I wailed. Mama would get up and made Milo for me. It was useless. I would throw it all up. Abah would rub minyak cap kapak on my temple. I'll fell asleep for a minute or two but when the effect wore off, I am back to the wailing.

After so many sleepless nights for Abah, Mama and me, Abah decided to take me to the hospital. Hospital Tawakal to be precise. Now I could not remember much about all the activities that took place at the hospital but I do remember screaming and thrashing and crying when the doctor was about to withdraw some blood. My blood. Once I saw the needle... boy oh boy, there was no stopping me! I remember four nurses holding me down as I screamed and thrashed and cried. I remember the doctor trying to console me. And I remember the doctor giving up when I would not stop all the drama. Abah laughed his head off with my antiques. I had to be wheeled back to my room because I spent all my energy screaming, thrashing and crying.

At the hospital, I had difficulties to stomach the food provided. Whatever that went through my mouth will come back out, through my mouth as well. They stopped feeding me solid food and switched to liquid food instead. Porridge, fruit juices, soups... you know the drill. It worked. Until I was bored with the same food everyday. I started to complain. They switched back to solid food. And I was back to the throwing up state. The doctor was puzzled. Abah and Mama was worried. Back to the tasteless liquid food again for me. One night, I could not bear any more of the white tasteless porridge. I begged Abah for solid food, real food. Abah went out, leaving me with Mama who was trying to console me while persuading me to eat the porridge. I had to eat so that I could take my medicine, you see.

A while later, Abah came back, holding a plastic bag bearing the distinctive M logo. I was overjoyed, needless to say, even without knowing what was in the plastic bag Abah took out a yellow box and opened it to reveal the hot golden chicken nuggets inside. I beamed at Abah. Abah said to me, "Only one piece for you. Bismillah first." One piece just to see if my stomach will reject it. One piece to play it safe. One piece that made me smile. I demolished the one piece in seconds. And it stayed in my stomach. Hurray! So Abah allowed me a second piece, and the third one, and the next. Amazingly, the nuggets stayed in my stomach.

From that day on, the porridge, juices and soups were forgotten. Abah brought me the chicken nuggets everyday. I ate them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was this one night, Abah, along with Wan (my late grandfather), snuck me out of the hospital. Yes, folks. They snuck me out. And that night, I sat happily at the back of the Pajero, between my father and my grandfather. I was glad to be out of the hospital. Abah asked me, "How about some satay?" I shook my head. No, sir, no satay. Just McDonald's Chicken McNuggets will do for me. While I ate my nuggets, Abah and Wan had their satays. Oh. We had ABC, too. And I didn't throw up. Weird.

Mama was actually against Abah feeding me the nuggets even if that is the only thing I could stomach. Once, she gave me an egg sandwich (because I like egg sandwich as well) but down the drain it went as I puked through my nose. Never again Mama brought egg sandwich for me. Like it or not, she had to give way to those little golden babies. I was hospitalized for about a week and a half. After about a week, I could eat normally again. Did I ever get tired of boring of the nuggets? Nope. Never.

In a way, the little nuggets remind me of the those good ol' times, when I was my father's little darling. It reminds me of the things that Abah would do for me without hesitation. And it always makes me smile, especially the part where he and his father snuck me out of the hospital. Now, both of them are gone, forever. And they left me with those fond memories I would cherish all of my life...

really, really, really delicia!

Bread never really tasted this good!

The discovery of this bread was made at Erni @ Cepotet's blog, first here and then she put up the pictures here. I was really really tempted to try out the Butterscotch one first because I didn't really know what it will taste like compared to the Choco Raisin. But, boy, was it hard to find the Butterscotch! I found Choco Raisin easily but never caught the sight of the Butterscotch. I did once but I wasn't quick enough to grab it as one lady quickly grab the very last loaf. Dhang!

So then I went ahead and bought the Choco Raisin anyway just to see if it's really as good as Erni said. My first bite was like "Whoa!". The bread tasted chocolatey and really, really, really good! It was love at first bite. Normally, I would pick out the raisin bits 'cos I don't really like black raisins but the bread is sooo delicious, I eat it altogether with the raisins. I brought it back home for my sisters and it was devoured in a matter of minutes. I told ya it's good. It's delicia delicious!

Gardenia Delicia Choco Raisin

And today, as I was walking to the office, my eyes quickly caught the very last loaf of Butterscotch at the grocery store near to the office. Finally! After weeks of searching (until my sisters were bored to hear me say 'Butterscotch' like a mantra), I found it. My heart sang in joy, all because a loaf of bread. Quickly, I grabbed the bread and pay RM 4.00 for it. Yes! The bread is in my hand now! As I arrived in the office, I took out a slice and sank my teeth into it. Ooohhh! Never mind that it is RM 4.00 per loaf. It is worth every single bite.

Gardenia Delicia Butterscotch

I wonder if I can ever eat normal bread again. Hurm...

Oh. I don't think Mama will nag me for eating white bread now, no? Because, technically, the bread is chocolate and err... yellow? Tee-hee!

P/S: Erni, thanks for introducing the bread!

what my pleasure looks like...

May I introduce to you, ladies and gentlemen, the sinfully delicious and rich Mango Delight! Okay, okay, a bit over the top, I admit. But it IS good, I assure you. The creamy mango ice cream, topped with sweet and sour mango sauce, pieces of mangoes and rice crisp, it is THE ultimate treat for me. The first time I had this dessert, I went "Mmmmmmmm...", which could be translated to "So damn good!". I was with my sister and she'll say just the same thing to you should you ask. It costs around RM 4.00 per cup, if I remember correctly. You can find this delightful (delightful? Corny!) dessert at Pannettone Cafe which is situated on the ground floor of KL Sentral. Their other dishes are quiet good, too, but this Mango Delight? It's what my pleasure looks like exactly. Maybe I could get one today after work. Hmm...